Little Secrets
by Silvedry
Summary: Hayate may have left Yuugao behind, but supposing that wasn't all he left behind, how would both Hayate and Yuugao handle it? Clearly in a mature, responsible way. Or they could just storm out and avoid each other. At least, that's what's working for Yuugao. HayaYuu.
1. Little Discoveries

_**Hiya everybody. So this is my very first ficcy, and I hope I don't suck at it. But I guess even if I do, I won't really care. I wrote this story for a HayaYuu contest on , so I hope those of you reading enjoy the HayaYuu. **_

_**Disclaimer:**__** I don't own Hayate, Yuugao, or any of the other characters, villages, basically anything related to Naruto. That title belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I'm just a poser until the name change papers pass through.**_

_**P.S. This story hopefully will be the prologue to another story if I can get my writer's blocked ass going.**_

**Little Secrets**__

_**Ch.1: Little Discoveries**_

Positive.

A plus sign.

Si. Oui. Hai. Yes.

The eggo is preggo.

Uzuki Yuugao stared at the 8-inch long piece of plastic that had just ruined her day.

Maybe her year.

It had yet to occur fully to her that her olive colored towel was still clinging fully to her violet hair and her damp bath robe hung limply against her petite body frame.

She blinked slowly and drew in a shaky breath.

'I'm… pregnant?' was all that echoed in her head. That was all that seemed to _be_ in her head at that moment.

Yuugao slumped into a, luckily nearby, armchair and held the store bought pregnancy test at arms length. Maybe the test was wrong? Just like the first two tests she had tried.

"Oh dear gods. Oh no… no… no" Yuugao's voice echoed thunderously to her ears in her tiny, empty, apartment.

What was she going to do?

She felt her breath quicken as the gravity of the situation hit her. Yuugao was 22! It hardly seemed like a good age to settle down and have a baby! She felt the towel holding her hair fall down past her shoulders and onto the mocha colored armchair.

"Shit". The word expressed more then her anger right now.

Her stomach seemed to have interesting timing as the leftover sashimi she had wolfed down for breakfast 20 minutes ago was steadily making it's way back up her esophagus. The wave of nausea swept her into a fog as she navigated her way through her apartment to the cream colored bathroom. After emptying the contents of her stomach into the white porcelain bowl, she placed her forehead against a neighboring wall and laughed bitterly.

'Great. Just great'. Even in her head, sarcasm seemed to be her favorite mode of expressing herself. She took shallow breathes as she waited once again for the morning sickness wave to be over. Her chest ached with panic. How was she going to raise a baby? How was she going to tell Hayate?

Yuugao groaned. She stood up and walked over to her telephone.

"Let's see… dun dun dun…62496". Yuugao took a shaky breath in as she listened to the receptionist at the end of the line introduce herself and the name of the clinic.

"Ah… yes, h-hello Chiharu-san. I'd like to make an appointment, a walk-in appointment I guess with Dr. Mesu…today please…no, anytime is fine…'kay, 'kay… it's how long again?… no I need to talk about… an already existing case and um… options. Alright… alright thank you." She clicked the phone back onto it's mount.

She slowly slid down the wall and buried her head in her hands. She felt tears slide down her cheeks and her heart began to ache again, but this time with worry.

Would Hayate accept a baby? How was she going to take care of the baby if he didn't? What would happen if she told him and he didn't want it? Would he ask her to get rid of it? Yuugao felt the tears burn her cheeks and her throat choked on the sobs she held in.

What if left her? Her sobs flowed freely now and she felt herself glue her eyelids shut and drift away from the conscious world.

Sleepy, tear-stained eyes opened meekly onto a digital clock screaming 12:13 p.m. Something in the back of her mind clicked. The appointment was in 7 minutes.

Shit.


	2. Little Proclaimations

_**Heya everyone reading this here memo! I hope you weren't waiting too long for this update. If you were, sorry about that. This is the second chapter of three and then maybe, just maybe, there will be a spin-off/continuance. So anyways, hope you enjoy.**_

_**Oh! And I respectfully state that I don't own anything here 'cept the plot. No funny way of saying it this time sorry. **_

**Ch. 2- Little Proclamations**

From a very young age, Yuugao had never been comfortable in a doctors office. The one she was sitting in now was no exception.

She gulped and tried to silence her quickening heartbeat as a young woman with blonde hair walked out of the doctors office. Another woman with black hair walked over to the receptionist's desk before turning around and smiling at her.

Yuugao tensed a bit as the woman she presumed to be her doctor walked over.

"Yuugao-san? I'm Dr. Mesu. If you'd wait in my office, I'll be right with you".

Yuugao nodded and walked into the pale blue office while the doctor closed the door.

Immediately, she sat down and observed the room. There were many pictures of the doctor with many other women and newborn babies, husbands and wives with children, even pictures of teenagers. The desk that was not 5 feet away from where she sat, intimidated the atmosphere with how freakishly neat it was. And right smack dab in the middle of the desk, stuck in Yuugao's line of sight was a shiny golden name plate.

"Dr. Mesu Makiko, M.D."

She stiffened again as the door opened to reveal Dr. Mesu. She smiled warmly again.

"Sorry for making you wait Yuugao-san".

"It's alright. I'm not exactly anxious to do this".

Dr. Mesu walked over and sat in her chair.

"Now, Yuugao-san, you mentioned on the phone that you needed to discuss options on a pre-existing condition. So, how long have you known you were expecting?" the good doctor's calm attitude was beginning to tick Yuugao off.

"Um… I actually just found out this morning, t-that's why I made such a late appointment".

Dr. Mesu just nodded.

"So, can you tell me when the last time you conceived with the babies' father was?" How the hell could this woman say that so calmly?

"U-umm… I'm pretty sure it was about two weeks ago".

The doctor cocked an eyebrow and scribbled something down on paper. She placed the pen down.

"Yuugao-san, have you and the babies' father discussed your options?" Dr. Mesu said quietly, a surprising break in her cheerful demeanor. Yuugao felt as if her tongue was glued to the inside of her mouth. Options? The word didn't even ring a bell.

"Did you even reveal to the father that the child exists?" Dr. Mesu's voice wasn't disappointed or angry or scolding but more patient, as if she were speaking to a small child.

"N-no… he doesn't know. But-but how did you…?"

Dr. Mesu smiled.

"Most women who come in here come with their loved one for support. Those who don't, haven't told anyone yet or were never planning on letting anyone find out. Now, do you want him to know?"

Yuugao was quickly silenced again as her mind slowed to a screeching halt. How the hell could _one_ doctor mess with her head so many times?

"Uh-huh…" the sound drifted from out her lips practically by itself, in a way telling her what she didn't know. Dr. Mesu looked back up at her and smiled again.

"Well, why don't you tell him, then call us back and we'll see what to do?" There was that speaking-to-a-child voice again.

Yuugao deftly nodded and began to rise out of her chair that suddenly seemed too small, subconsciously placing a hand on her tummy.

"Oh, Yuugao-san". Dr. Mesu stood up at her desk just as Yuugao had reached the door "you'd need to come back next week at the latest just incase you want to make an appointment to… terminate the pregnancy. If that's what you choose to do, of course".

Yuugao blinked slowly. Terminate? As in… abortion?

"Yes. Of course" she repeated, the words sounding slow and distorted to her.

She opened the door and felt her hands shaking, if only a little bit, as she shut it.

Walking out of the doorway, and through the waiting room, Yuugao noticed how many emotions were hitting her, one after the other. And how many questions came with each of them.

Shock. Why hadn't they used some sort of protection? How could this have occurred?

Panic. Would Hayate react well? Would he want it?

Nervousness. How was she going to tell Hayate?

Fear. Would she have to give up her… baby?

As she passed the receptionists' desk and waved at the women who she assumed to be the one she spoke to on the phone with, the reality of the whole situation hit her.

There was a living, breathing, human being growing inside of her. A combination of herself and Hayate all rolled into one person. She was going to be a mommy.

Supposing she kept it.

Yuugao opened the door that permitted her exit and suddenly began noticing things a little better. The sun was higher then before, meaning it had to be around 1. There were quiet, rustling noises all around her in the grass that surrounded Dr. Mesu's place of business, presumably made by animals. Turning around, Yuugao took a good look at the office building, not having done so before hand because she was in such a state of numbness thanks to her earlier discovery-she couldn't really notice anything.

The building was fairly small and had a square-ish build. It looked to be a cream color made from a mixture of cement and terra cotta. But despite being surrounded by lush green grass, it was a very old building, that much was apparent. It had coffee colored stains in various places that could only be from old age and exposure to the elements. The place had many wires criss-crossing and spiraling and sprawling to and from various places and metal bars on the roof connecting to a very tall telephone pole. So much so that it looked like many spider webs had attached themselves to the pole. However, the most noticeable things were the windows. Though the largest one was not 3 feet from the door and perfectly normal looking with it's black trim, the smaller ones each placed a perfect 3 ½ feet from the last all the way around the building, were all different colors. Each one wasn't one, but multiple shades of each basic color of a rainbow and then some. The first one she could see was red. Next to that was orange, yellow, green, and though she couldn't see them since they were on the back of the building, she assumed blue, indigo, and violet were somewhere to complete the set.

The windows were beautiful. Not only did the light hit them so prettily, but upon closer inspection, Yuugao saw they spelt something. She was sure of it. The jagged pieces of crystal glass, placed together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, came together and in the middle, some pieces darker then the others made out one character.

"Kibou".

Her breath stopped for a second. The jagged way the word was spelt made it almost hard to read. _Almost__._

Kibou. Hope.

It was almost ironic. A place women went to figure out how they were going to get themselves through a portion of their life. And the way Dr. Mesu talked, it sounded like many of them chose to end their worries. But, still to put hope on one, two, three… every window…

Somehow, it made Yuugao feel… relieved. A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth a wee bit as she walked home, less afraid of the future.

~*~

Yuugao sat at her counter in her tiny apartment staring at the clock.

2:16.

Hayate, who unlike Yuugao (who happened to have had the day off today) would be back from his mission in about half an hour. She was going to tell him. She had to tell him. But _what _was she going to tell him? Yuugao had yet to decide what she was doing. She laughed at the only two ways of choosing what to do that came to mind.

A list of pros and cons or eeny-meeny-miney-mo. She chuckled sourly at the thought of whether or not to keep a child being made through 'eeny-meeny-miney-mo'.

The lone piece of paper and the forlorn pen placed nonchalantly on the table in front of her glared fiercely at her. "Pros and Cons", scribbled across the top Yuugao sighed defeatedly and grudgingly picked up the pen.

"Pros-We've always talked about having a family".

That was one topic Hayate and herself had constantly talked about. They had never talked about having a baby so early though. Thus-

"Cons-We're both way too young to have a baby"

Yuugao was 22! 22! Her mother was 34 when she had her! They weren't responsible enough! Not mature enough! Just look at the situation they were in now!

"Cons-We're inexperienced"

Neither of them had ever had a baby before. The closest Hayate had come was being a proctor for the Chunin exams. But those kids weren't babies!

"Cons-We're both so busy, we wouldn't have time for it"

Yuugao was in ANBU and Hayate was busy running the Chunin exams. When would they have time to raise a baby? They were both just starting their careers, there'd be no way to make time!

"Cons-We both risk our lives on missions on a daily basis. What if one of us died? Or both? Who'd take care of the baby?"

This was a problem for many ninja families but even though _they_ made it work, this was different. She and Hayate barely made enough money as it was for their tiny apartment. They were constantly falling behind on bills because there would be no time between missions and Chunin exam preparations to pay them.

Currently, Yuugao and Hayate had been wearing the same couple of shirts and pants, to save laundry water. They were even living on a diet of water from the sink and a truck load of oranges bought on sale-6 crates of 20 for 100 ryo. Plus all the missions they took were high level. Many a night had either Hayate of herself come home from a mission with a deep cut strewn together with stitches. What is it escalated? They wouldn't be able to support a family! Neither of them could be a single parent!

And there were so many things to buy for a baby. A cradle for it to sleep in, a lot of baby clothes, diapers!, food for when it got too old for bottles and milk, a rocking chair so Yuugao could sing the baby a lullaby, baby monitors so she could hear the baby crying and so she had an excuse to hold him or her.

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Since when did she use pronouns when she wasn't sure if she was keeping it or not?

Almost as if she wasn't in control of her hand, the pen scribbled out something:

"Pros- You'd become something's mother".

Even back when Yuugao was a little girl, she'd wanted to be a mommy. She'd always wanted to get married, settle down in a big house and have children after she'd become a bit more practiced in her ninja lifestyle.

But this was nothing like that! She and Hayate weren't married. She didn't live in a big house either. She lived in a tiny apartment with crappy commodities! She had only been an ANBU member for 2 years and hadn't been seasoned nearly enough!This was all wrong!

So… why couldn't she bring herself to get rid of it?

She wouldn't be the first, it had become a rather popular method. She _knew_ she wouldn't be able to give the baby everything she wanted to. It should have everything it wanted.

But… who really has everything they wanted?

All a person really needed was love, right?

It hit her hard.

That's why she couldn't get rid of the baby.

She loved it. She _loved_ her baby.

Sure she was terrified at first and worried, but inside she was thrilled. And she couldn't tell Dr. Mesu what her decision was because she knew it would be best not to have it, but she had still wanted it and was unable to make the decision between logic and emotion.

But that last sentence written under the 'Pros' column over powered her.

She wanted this baby.

She loved it.

She was going to keep it.

~*~

"Hey Hayate-kun, how are you feeling today?" Yuugao said from the sofa where she was peeling an orange, looking up at her boyfriend as he walked in the door.

He sniffed. Then scowled.

"Uh. You're eating another of those god awful oranges again?" he said followed by a thunderous fit of coughing.

"You're the one who bought them. And if I don't eat them who will?" a smile lifted the corners of her lips.

He smirked, and made his way over to sit down beside her on the sofa. Hayate placed an arm around her shoulders and Yuugao tilted her head onto his.

Playing with the orange slice in her fingers, Yuugao contemplated the currently big issue in her lap.

How was she going to break the news to him?

It's not like she could just blurt something like this out! You had to be both cunning and tentative. You had to be weary of what reactions could come out of this. You… could always stall for time.

"So… how was the mission?" she asked timidly.

"Fine. Genma got over confident and sprained his ankle trying to show up our client, but other then that--" he broke into a fit of coughs "but, erm, other then that, it was essentially successful".

She smiled at him, feeling her heart accelerate in anticipation.

"Uh, Hayate-kun…" she took a deep breath. Shit. "could you get me a glass of water?" she felt her lips twitch at how cowardly she was being.

He quirked a brow at her before getting up off the sofa and walking into walking into the kitchen. She heard him open the glass cabinet just above and heard the clink of the glasses as he grabbed one. Yuugao looked down at her fingernails in shame. She couldn't believe this!

This wasn't like her! She was soooo much stronger then this! She could slice an enemies head off in two seconds without even thinking about it, but she couldn't tell her boyfriend she was pregnant and wanted to keep it? That wasn't going to be how this went down.

She took a deep breath and was about to open her mouth to call out to Hayate when the air was suddenly taken over by another sound. It seems Hayate had dropped one of the glasses he was holding.

Yuugao immediately stood up and rushed into the kitchen to help clean up, when she saw why he had dropped the glasses in the first place and gasped.

Hayate was holding her Pros and Cons list.

Holding it and _reading _it.

The air was so still and cold, Yuugao actually shivered a little. The broken water glass lay ignored on the floor.

Hayate lowered the paper and half-glared at her.

"Yuugao. What is this?" his voice croaked, almost like it hurt.

She opened her mouth and closed it again, unable to say anything. He didn't seem angry, or sad, or confused or even excited. Couldn't he put two-and-two together? What did he think it was?

"Yuugao. What does this mean?" Hayate said, this time with a louder tone, less raspy, like he thought she didn't hear him before.

What was his problem? What did he think it meant? And why wasn't he at least angry about it? She knew Hayate wasn't one to wear his heart on his sleeve, but this was something you made an exception for!

Now Yuugao was miffed.

"I'll tell you exactly what it is Hayate-kun" she said, her eyes stinging with embarrassment and shame and anger, with a tone so cool it gave frost bite to each word. "I'm pregnant".

She watched as his ashen paled even more so. His eyes dinner plates with dark circles under them. He opened his mouth to say something, but-almost spitefully-Yuugao beat him to it.

"I'm pregnant Hayate-kun. It's yours. And I'm keeping it".

________________________________________________________________________

_**Yay! Angry confessions combined with cliffies! Woah this is much longer then the last one isn't it? Sorry about that. It was 6 pages single spaced and 13 double spaced.**_

_**Yowza, this took the longest time ever! I'm really sorry about that. As for chapter 3, um, I'm working on it, but I was almost done with this chapter and it took me a really long time to get this up, so we'll see how this goes. Now all this was pre-death and the next chapter(s) will probably be post-death. I dunno I guess we'll see.**_

_**Anyways, review if you want, I don't really care about the whole review if you read thing, since I don't really review… ever. I'll know that you like it if you favorite it. **_

_**But if you do review (which I wouldn't mind), please leave positive things or questions. **_

_**No flames. Flames will be used to roast your sorry carcass over an open fire alongside my chestnuts. Happy holidays! **_

**_Oh and I'll give ya a shout out in the next chapter if you can figure out where I got Dr. Mesu's first name and the receptionist's names. I hope someone gets it._**


	3. Little Decisions

_**Holy Glob… this is a chapter that's been a long time coming. There is one more chapter after this, even though I only intended it to be a Threeshot. But don't worry! I won't make those of you that put this on your alert list wait forever, the next chapter is already written. **_

_**I just thought that since this chapter was huge enough already, I'd shorten just a bit. **_

_**Also, to give you a bit of a sense of time, the mission Iruka is talking about it the Land of Waves Arc so this is taking place while he's there. **_

_**Anyway, Naruto, its fictional universe and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

…

Yuugao somehow felt… empty. Not sad or angry but just empty. The knot that had woven her heart up earlier that day while she tried to tell him about the baby all of five minutes ago had unraveled and with it, all these pent up emotions.

She stared up at him and waited for something, anything.

Subconsciously, her limp stance began taking a more defensive position as she watched him from her spot in the living room. Hayate just stood there. He wasn't angry, he wasn't scared, he wasn't even excited (which hurt her more than the other two). He was just blank.

Yuugao watched as he slumped into a chair at the dining room table. Slowly, he let go of the "Pro/Con" list he had been clutching so vehemently and brought that same hand up to clutch his forehead. He looked so… tired. Like his biggest worry was getting to bed early to lose a headache. That was it!

Angrily, Yuugao grabbed her sandals by the door, shoved them onto her feet roughly and yanked the door open. She looked back at Hayate who stared up at her cautiously.

"Where are you going?" he asked, as if he were talking to a pet cat.

"Out" she hissed and slammed the door.

…

All was quiet in the tiny apartment, whereas in Hayate's head, one million questions shouted and screamed and pounded so angrily, he felt they had left lumps on his skull.

What had he done? This wasn't supposed to happen. At least not this early. Of course Hayate wanted children, but not until the time was right. There were so many things he wanted to have done first. He wanted to rise from his ranks and get a job that paid much better (because, hey, how much money can you really make telling snot-nosed brats how to advance in their exams?) so that he could afford to buy Yuugao a nice house with a yard. He wanted to go to a jewelry store and pick out the brightest diamond and mount it on the smoothest band there was. Then he'd be able to take her out to the park where they met as children and nonchalantly slip the ring onto her finger and watch as her eyes brightened and she latched onto him in a hug so tight he'd start coughing. And she'd back away in a panic till they both started laughing, until tears fell from their eyes.

He wanted to help her decorate a nursery with the nicest baby accessories money could buy and rub her feet when she got so huge she couldn't see them anymore. He wanted to press his ear to her stomach and hear the baby and feel its little feet kick him in the cheek for bugging it so much as he rubbed his cheek and smiled as Yuugao laughed and asked him for pickles and ice cream.

But instead, he lived in a shit apartment that had one bedroom that could barely fit the two of them, which wasn't often needed since they were usually on missions which required over-night stays somewhere else. They had no room for the baby anywhere. He couldn't pay for his own electricity or heat. He had to buy food in bulk like the damn oranges just in case he didn't earn enough money to buy food for a week. His medical bills at the end of the month alone cost more than a new apartment would in one of the nicer areas of Konoha.

He let the hand that was supporting his head fall limp and his head fell hard against the tabletop with a 'thud', hoping to literally knock some sense into him. The familiar bubbling in his chest told him how dumb an idea such as this was as he began to explode into spurts of painful coughing. His throat stung as he swallowed and he placed a hand over his eyes to stop the pounding in his head the windows were creating with the light they let in.

His mind ran over everything he had just thought of and the "Pro/Con" list Yuugao had left on the table and his own ideal family dream. This was ludicrous! Having a baby at this time would be impossible! He knew she was stubborn, but he could be stubborn too. Even if she'd hate him for it.

Now he just had to find her.

…

Up. Down. Up. Down. Up.

Yuugao found herself staring intently ahead at the sky as she kicked her legs back and forth, clutching the ropes to the wood plank swing tighter, relishing in the prickly strand's feel in her grasp.

"God. Hayate you're such a… Gah!" she felt the anger and disappointment warm her chest to the point that it started to sting and she kicked her legs harder, forcing the swing to take her higher and faster. After the argument with her boyfriend, she was so hurt. Yuugao had always pictured telling him she was pregnant would be a happy occasion. She understood of course that this current situation was far from what either of them had planned, but she still hadn't expected him to act as if she had just told him they had run out of milk! His stoic-ness stung the most. She would have preferred anything to his lack of caring. In her ire, she made her way to the academy playground, which for some ironic reason was the first place she could think to go.

"Stupid Hayate" she growled and ceased her leg movements, causing the swing to still. Staring glumly at her knees, she tried to stop and analyze what had transpired back in her apartment. Why had Hayate been so reserved about the baby? Even if he didn't want it, shouldn't he have been angry? And if he did want it, shouldn't he have been happy? It took her a moment to remember that for as long as she'd known Hayate, she'd only seen him emote himself a few times. Hell, she could count the number of smiles he'd shown her on one hand after they had begun a relationship. He had even apologized a number of times for not expressing himself as best he could, but he was just not that kind of person. Hayate was, however, a very practical and logical person. He was the type to stop and think about things that he was facing before making any mistakes in how he handled them. Yuugao thought that maybe he was trying to figure out what to say, to really sit down and think.

Replaying their conversation in her head, she realized she hadn't really given him much chance at a reply.

"I'm pregnant Hayate. It's yours. And I'm keeping it". That would be a lot of information for anyone to take in at once.

Hayate was smart. Hayate was reasonable and logical. Hayate took time to weigh all possible outcomes and calculate all steps of action. Yuugao… Yuugao wrote flimsy arguments on pieces of paper. Yuugao sighed and brushed a piece of long, purple hair. 'I'll bet he's sitting in the apartment right now coming up with a perfectly legitimate reasons for either keeping it or not. What have I done? Freaked out at a doctor's office and threw a fit in front of him'. She began to realize that she had acted like a child (to which she stubbornly attributed to the hormones) and started to question her reasons for getting so upset. The baby of course, but why? Hayate hadn't demanded she get rid of it and she had made a decision regardless of his choice. But her chest began to ache as she began thinking again about the baby.

'We'll have to buy a new apartment cause there'll be no room for him/her when he/she gets older or at least move into the living room. And he/she'll need a crib immediately and then when it comes time I'll have to go on maternity lea-' that thought stopped her dead in her tracks. Maternity leave.

In the ANBU, due to the extremely high risk missions the forces handles daily, for an expecting woman, maternity leave began almost as soon as the pregnancy did. Ever since she graduated the academy it had been her goal in life to get into the ANBU forces. She had to train and train and study for so many years until she was finally rewarded with the position 3 years ago. If she took leave now, it might not be as easy to get back in after her leave was up. She'd heard stories of female members who went on leave and were immediately denied reinstatement because they had children at home who needed them. ANBU was her life! Her dream! Clutching the rope so tight she heard it creak, Yuugao squinted her charcoal eyes to prevent the red hot tears of frustration from spilling. If she was going to give up everything she worked for, she had to know it was all going to be worth it. Her head jerked up as she realized she knew just the place.

When a person tries to enter ANBU, they are either lucky candidates or unlucky candidates. If they're lucky, they received backing from a very influential person or they enter the ranks when there are several openings. If you're unlucky (aka Yuugao) you get accepted into the registry, but have to wait until an opening arises. After she had applied, Yuugao spent 3 months waiting for a spot. Luckily, she received a notice to report to the training immediately since a position would be open soon. She was at the facility within the hour.

The woman who greeted her introduced herself as Kousaka Hama and told her she would be acting as her supervisor in the next month before she could go out into the field. Hama turned out to be a very nice person. She showed Yuugao all the ins and outs of the ANBU headquarters, how to get along with even the snobbiest of ANBU members, how to forget about missions that go wrong and most importantly, how to sneak past the pervs in the locker rooms without getting caught. The two quickly became friends and Yuugao looked forward to each day of training during the first two months. It was during her third month that Hama told her she would be going on her first mission. When Yuugao humbly expressed her excitement towards working in the field with her, Hama laughed and told Yuugao she was staying at HQ. Elaborately, Hama told her she was pregnant and would be leaving on maternity leave at the end of next week.

It was then Yuugao realized Hama had been training her as a replacement.

When the time came to say goodbye, Hama gave Yuugao her address and made her promise to write while promising her she'd be back soon. Yuugao had never seen her back in HQ in all 3 years since.

Dumbly, Yuugao stood in front of Hama-san's door, double checking the numbers she had memorized after having written so many letters to this address. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand and knocked three times quickly, a habit she'd developed at HQ.

It took a moment before she heard anything and when she did, she stiffened as the door opened. The face looking back at her filled her with such warmth, she almost burst into tears. Hama, now with a laugh line or two that Yuugao didn't remember stared at her a moment before smiling warmly, crinkling her navy eyes a bit.

"Yuugao-chan how nice to see you! Come in! Come in! We've just finished dinner, but I'll put some tea on. This is such a pleasant surprise".

"Hama-san, you don't need to go to any trouble. I don't mean to impose" she said quickly as she followed Hama inside.

"It's not imposing at all" A man walked into the hallway carrying a clearly drowsy little boy and his gaze flickered to Yuugao for a moment then back to Hama.

"Hama-chan, I think it's time to put Sato to bed. Say goodnight to Mama, Sato-kun" the man held the boy up to his mother's face and the boy pressed his lips sleepily to his mother's cheek.

"Night Mama".

"Goodnight Sato-chan" she kissed him back "Oh, Nori, this is Yuugao-chan. A college of mine from ANBU" Yuugao flushed and Nori smiled and nodded before carrying the tot away.

Yuugao followed Hama into her cozy kitchen and sat in a chair, feeling the ache of tiredness assault her. Hama bustled around the kitchen making tea and Yuugao couldn't look at anything other than the table top. When the water had boiled and placed with tea leaves in two cups, Hama came and sat in a chair across from her, placing a cup in front of her.

"So, Yuugao-chan, for you to visit me and not send a letter first is quite unexpected. Is something wrong?"

Yuugao took a deep breath and slowly looked up at her, trying to will the tears away, not wanting to cry in front of her respected college.

"Actually, Hama-san, I… I need your advice. I'm… I'm pregnant".

The quiver in her voice immediately shamed her and she cursed herself for letting Hama hear her sound so silly. Hama however, said nothing and kept her face clear as if waiting for Yuugao to continue.

"I… just… I'm not sure what to do. You know how things work in ANBU. It's not that I don't want i-it, but… all my life I've been in for 3 years. I'm already a squad leader! I could make captain next. And I just don't want to lose all that progress I made! What will I do if I don't get back in? What if I can't start from where I left off?" she felt the stream be released and felt better as she placed her clenched hands on the table top.

Hama was quiet for a little longer before placing her hands on the table top too. She sighed and smiled.

"Yuugao-chan, I'm glad you came and talked to me. However, you might not like what I have to say". Yuugao stiffened and tried to prepare herself for whatever Hama was going to tell her. Hama sighed and chewed her lip, apparently searching for a way to begin what she wanted to say.

"I'm sure you know this, but kunoichi are different than male shinobi. We tend to be suited for the subtler parts of missions and are more prone to taking sneaking and undercover missions. However, we also are easily swayed by our emotions. No matter what we do, what we as shinobi are trained to believe and repress, it's almost impossible for women to ignore their feelings. It's even harder in ANBU" she tucked a strand of her sandy colored hair behind her ears.

"ANBU members are given some of the highest priority missions available and within their ranks are some of the highest quality shinobi around. They need to be able to receive an order, analyze the best strategy for success and execute the mission quickly, efficiently and professionally as possible. To be accepted into something like that is a high honor, one any person would be proud of. You know, 50 years ago, there were no more than a handful of women in the entire ANBU Corps. Back then, many women's priorities were to get married and have children, not become shinobi, and so back then childbirth was dangerous so once a woman in ANBU got married, she'd be dropped from the Corps and be replaced. It'd be too much time to waste waiting for a member to get back from maternity leave, how many teams would have to be reconfigured while waiting, disrupting the unity a team is supposed to have. It wasn't so much of a big deal then, considering how few women were active ANBU members. Now though, about one third of all ANBU members are women. The rules now are different. If a woman gets married, she is still allowed to remain in ANBU, just has to fill out a name change form. However, if she gets pregnant; she has two choices: take immediate leave and get paid or drop a rank and take a desk job/civilian job. This is done for a purely logical reason.

"ANBU in dangerous. People get killed almost every time they go out. Pregnant women have not only themselves to worry about, but also their child. When I got pregnant, I was just like you. I didn't know what to do. My grandfather, father and brother all were in ANBU. All were so proud of me for making it in. I didn't want to disappoint them. And I'd come so far in rank. But I loved my baby. I wanted Sato more than anything. So, I sat down in this kitchen with Nori and we talked. He knew how much I loved my job but we both decided family was more important".

"But what about the pay cut? Wasn't that hard? I mean, Hayate and I are barely making ends meet. I can't imagine trying to feed a baby".

Hama sighed.

"Yeah it was a little difficult at first, but, we made it work. That's what happens when you want something bad enough. You make it work. Tell me something Yuugao-chan. Do you love your baby?" Hama smiled.

Yuugao teared up again and smiled softly before whispering out: "yes".

Hama's smile widened.

"Then I think you know exactly what to do. A job is just a job Yuugao-chan. Family… family is much more important. Yes, I lost a position in a place that made me happy, but I got Nori. And Sato-chan. That's worth so much more".

Yuugao smiled and bowed slightly while thanking Hama and excusing himself. Hama walked her out to the door and waved at her as she walked down the street. As she neared her apartment, the cool night breeze brushed against her and tossed her long purple hair about. She felt a smile work its way up to her face. Hama-san's advice helped lift the huge weight from her shoulders. She knew she loved her baby and wanted it; it was just nice to have a little reassurance. Now… to wait for Hayate.

…

Hayate sat on the mangled old swing set, not moving, just waiting. He traced the wiry fibers with his palms. He let out a breath and, as he expected, flew into a fit of coughing. Once his breathing regained its normal composure, he closed his eyes to try and clear his head. He'd checked all of the usual places Yuugao would have run to: the library, the ANBU headquarters, and her mother's house. He'd some to the academy playground in a last ditch effort to try and find her. Unfortunately, Yuugao was very skilled and if she didn't want to be found, she wouldn't be.

It was getting dark now and he heard the buzz of street lamps turning on. Opening his eyes, another fit of coughs took hold of his chest and he debated whether or not to try another place or just go back to their apartment.

Of course… the real issue wasn't finding Yuugao. It was deciding what to say to her that he was having a hard time coming up with. After dating for 3 years, he was well aware of how to finagle Yuugao out of a bad mood with all his body parts intact, and their relationship no worse for the wear. But this time, she was upset and he was at a loss for what to say in order to make things right. She would no doubt still be passionate about the baby and would argue her best to try and convince him that they could keep it. But Yuugao let herself get too involved with her feelings and wasn't thinking clearly. They couldn't have a baby; there'd be no way of taking care of it. Both of them worked jobs that were risky, their schedules never really had them in the village at the same time for more than a few days at a time. How would they stop and take care of it? And they couldn't afford it. They just didn't make enough money to take some time off. And if one of them died… he couldn't imagine being a single parent.

The light padding of footsteps caught his attention and Hayate looked up to see Iruka nonchalantly making his way down the street, hands in his pockets. Quickly and as smoothly as he could, Hayate got up from the swing and tried to make it look like a 23 year old Jounin hadn't just been sulking like a 10 year old on a children's swing set. The movement must have caught Iruka's eye because Hayate heard him shout "Hey, Hayate-san!" and turned to see Iruka making his way over to him. Hayate attempted to look less sullen (well… as well as he could given his eye bags and sunken skin) and returned his greeting.

"Iruka-san. Hey. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well. You?"

"Fine thanks. What are you doing put here?"

"Oh I just got back from dinner at Ichiraku's. Naruto's gone on a mission but that stuff kinda grows on you" he gave a small chuckle. "And you? Where's Yuugao-san?"

Hayate paused for a moment, trying to piece together his answer.

'She's avoiding me because we're in a fight over our unborn child'.

"I'm, uh, trying to find her. We… got into a fight".

"Oh. Sorry to hear that. Is she upset?"

"Somewhat" he gave a small cough.

There was a moment of silence, in which Hayate had a thought. Iruka was a smart guy and a sensible one too. Of course he occasionally let his heart run away with his senses, but he listened to logic. Surely he'd understand Hayate's case in this situation, right?

"Iruka-san, can I ask you something?" Immediately, Hayate wished he hadn't asked that because now he would have to tell Iruka about the pregnancy which he wasn't sure if that would make Iruka change his opinion of him. And using hypothetical situations was a dead giveaway for guilt. Maybe he didn't hear? He did have a tendency to mumble and so maybe he could get off scot-

"Sure Hayate-san. What's up?" Damn. Oh well.

Hayate opened his mouth slightly, but a fit of coughs seized him again and Iruka motioned them towards the bench to their right. Sitting down, Hayate gained use of his voice box and took a subtle breath.

"Iruka-san… Yuugao and I are expecting a baby".

There was a few seconds of silence before:

"That's great Hayate-san! Congratulations!" Iruka smiled at him and patted his back. Hayate cleared his throat "The only thing is… it wasn't exactly planned. And… I don't think we can handle a baby right now. Yuugao thinks differently of course. But… we're shinobi and our lives are on the line every day. Plus Yuugao and I aren't making a lot of money right now. I'm afraid we won't be able to properly care for it. I'm trying to find her so I can tell her that. Do you… do you think she'll listen?"

Iruka's eyebrows furrowed.

"Well Hayate-san, to be honest with you, I don't think she will. Yuugao-san is pretty stubborn and it takes a lot to convince her of anything, you know that. If she wants to keep the baby, then it'll take a lot to convince her otherwise. But… Hayate-san, if you don't mind my asking this… how do you honestly feel about the baby? Disregarding your reasons for keeping or not keeping it?"

Hayate just stared at Iruka, eyebrows knitted.

"I don't mean to belittle you, Hayate-san" Iruka added quickly "it's just… while your reasons are logical, they don't seem very… personal. And I think anyone would have a personal attachment in this situation. Don't you Hayate-san?"

"Of course I have a personal attachment!" he snapped, and before he knew it, words were flowing faster than he could control.

"It's not that I don't want this baby. I do! Of course I do! I want it more than anything I could ever wish for right now! But it's not a simple matter of what I want. It's about what I should do. The idea of a kid not eating enough because his parents can't afford to feed him or his face on Christmas when he sees there are no presents for him because his parents just barely paid their bills and had no more money to spend sickens me. I want my child to enjoy everything in life and have the best I can offer him. And right now, Yuugao and I just can't do that so what's the point?" He began coughing again and turned his head to the left while covering his mouth. This cause another thought to bubble in his mind until it burst. With a gasp signaling the end, he continued his ranting to a bewildered Iruka.

"And what about that? What if the kid gets as sick as me? He'll go all his life being restricted by his own immune system. Being sabotaged by his own body, never able to access his full potential. How could I knowingly do that to a child?"

Iruka blinked once before shifting his gaze to the concrete sidewalk.

"I'm sorry Hayate-san. I didn't mean to upset you, really."

Hayate cleared his throat and sheepishly turned his gaze to the concrete also.

Neither felt inclined to speak up. The wind lightly blew over the both of them and Hayate let out a sigh.

"You know… it's the strangest thing. Before I said it, I wasn't sure if I honestly wanted to keep it. All I could think about was reasons not to. I didn't actually ask myself. Iruka-san, if it's not too personal to ask, what would you do if you were in my place?" Hayate shifted his eyes back to Iruka.

Iruka lifted a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed.

"Well… Hayate-san I have to say… I honestly don't know. But I'll tell you this: we make tough decisions every day. We're shinobi. We never know if we're gonna come back one day. Everything we do if for the future and protection of the ones we love. The fact that you're here talking with me leads me to believe you've made all the right decisions before now. Hayate-san, I can't tell you what's right or what you should do. I'm sorry." At this, he chuckled.

Hayate sighed and felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards.

"It's alright Iruka-san. I think… I know what to do. I'm going back to Yuugao. Thank you for listening" he rose from the bench and stood facing him. Iruka smiled and rose too.

"You're welcome Hayate-san". And with that, Hayate turned and walked in the direction of his apartment.

The walk was silent, as he watched the street lights turn themselves on as he passed under them one by one. He had decided that if he couldn't find Yuugao, he'd stay at home and wait for her. In a matter of minutes he rounded the corner and faced the terra cotta building with a pale yellow sign above the two huge doors, faded black characters spelling out 'Yasuppoi Apartments'. He sighed at how dingy the place looked in the dark, the office past the front doors looming ominously empty. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a light on the third floor. He smiled slightly.

Yuugao.

Whenever they had fights in the past, fights so bad that one of them stormed out to cool their heads (much like earlier this afternoon) the one left to fume in the apartment would wait around until it got dark. The very moment the street lights turned on, it was like a switch inside them. The anger would disappear and the person left at home would flick on the light to their apartment. So whoever was coming back home would see there was someone still waiting for them.

He opened the front doors, and found himself moving his feet a little faster than his usual pace. 3 flights of stairs later, he found himself face to door with apartment 325. His heart thumped in his eyes gently but quickly. He knew what he was going to say but that didn't change the anxiousness in the pit of his stomach. He never liked having Yuugao angry at him. She was headstrong and went with her gut while he was calculating and went with his head so they clashed occasionally. But he never liked it when he knew he was the reason she was so upset.

He swallowed and raised his hand to open the knob when the door opened and Yuugao stood there holding it open peering into his face. She didn't look angry, she was scowling. Her eyes weren't puffy so she hadn't been crying. She just stared at him like she was waiting for the punch line of a joke.

He wasn't sure why, but he had the strong need to hold her. So without stopping to think if it was a good idea, he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his face in the crook of her neck. She stiffened but didn't say anything. The two of them stayed like that for a minute more, the sound of breathing being the only thing they heard. With his arms around her he felt she'd be more likely to listen, so he brought his mouth up to her ear and began.

"Yuugao… I'm sorry. I'm sorry I upset you. And… I know you want this baby. I… Yuugao I want it too. I want it so much. But you have to realize what we're up against. We're broke. My medical bills are huge. We live in a one bedroom apartment. Do you really think we can handle all that and a baby? I want our child to have everything it needs."

She didn't say anything and at her lack of response, Hayate pulled away and looked at her face. She stared at him a moment more then leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"Hayate someone once told me that if you want something bad enough, you make it work. And we want this baby."

Hayate watched as she brought her arms up around his neck and touched her forehead to his.

"Yuugao?"

"Hm?"

"If it's a girl, I want to name her Sonomi."

She laughed low in her throat.

"Well if it's a boy, I want to give him the name of the person I love most in the world."

"Who's that?"

Her eyes misted with unshed tears.

"Hayate."

His eyebrows rose minutely, face slightly flushed before he brought their lips together, kissing her with all he had.

…

_**Haha, I'd like to explain a joke here if you don't mind.**_

_**Yasuppoi means 'cheap' like cheaply made. Hahaha, I made a pun!**_

_**Anyway, I also wanted to say that I hope this chapter didn't seem too repetitive but I was running out of ways to explain why Hayate and Yuugao were so concerned about having a baby while in their current state of finances and careers. But I guess you can only call a cat so many things, huh? But thanks for reading! And I'll post the next chapter really really soon! **_


	4. Little Wonders

_**This is officially the last chapter. I'm somewhat annoyed that it's as short as it is, but hey, it would have made the previous chapter super long. In fact, all together this chapter and the previous one totaled out to be 25 pages double spaced in Microsoft. **_

_**Anyway, thank you for sticking with me and enjoy.**_

_**Naruto, its universe and characters don't belong to me. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

…

Six days later, Hayate was found dead.

The ironic thing was that very day Yuugao had been on her way to see the captain of her squad to tell him about her pregnancy. Her captain had been on a two week mission prior to that day so she hadn't had the time. When she approached him, he told her there had been a body discovered near Kikyo Castle and that her squad had better take a look. A chill ran up her spine at the way he stared at her. With an almost… pitying look. But she set out with her squad anyway.

Once she got there she wished she hadn't.

She wished she hadn't even woken up that morning.

Seeing Hayate lying there, slashed open and bleeding everywhere with an expression that looked empty, she felt dizzy and immediately retched. She could still see his face the day before, sitting on the couch eating the last of those shitty oranges and staring at her as she brushed her hair.

When he didn't come home that night, she assumed he was convening with the Hokage about the Chuunin exam prelims or out to dinner with Genma or something… anything that would mean he would be out late but definitely home the next morning!

The next few weeks after his small funeral she spent all the time she could in her tiny apartment crying into one of his shirts. It was in that dark time that she seriously considered giving up her baby. There was still time, a voice in the back of her head had told her. She was only 4 weeks along; she could still get out of this. There would be no way that she could handle the life of a parent alone and she knew that. But it was during those thoughts that the voice of Hayate rang in her head loud and clear.

'I want it too. I want it so much'.

And in that moment she'd feel disgusted with herself for even considering losing one of the only things that would forever remind her of Hayate.

When her squad mates came to her with news that it was discovered a sand shinobi had killed Hayate, she vowed to get revenge.

Her chance came when the final rounds of the Chuunin exam took place and Konoha was under attack by both Sound and Sand ninja alike. Promising she would never put her baby in harm's way after this day again, she donned her mask and did her civic duty as an ANBU member and defended Konoha even at the cost of every sand ninja that crossed her path. She would never know if she had taken care of Hayate's murderer but the destruction of her home and the grief of his death was too much to allow her to be easily sated.

When the battle was won and the traitors had left the village in shambles, she announced to her captain she was pregnant, no longer afraid that she'd never get back into the organization that she dreamed of belonging to. She had begun to believe that if she never got back into ANBU, then she would be the best damn mother that ever existed. He offered her a job as the new mission coordinator- as close to a secretary job as you could get in ANBU- and she took it, along with the pay cut. That same afternoon, she packed up all the things in her apartment that she could fit into a box and went to tell her mother her newly developed plan, praying to whoever was listening that she'd be understanding. She couldn't afford her rent on her own salary anymore and she didn't want to take care of her baby by herself. Hayate was gone which meant the only thing she could do now was move back in with her mother. Yuugao didn't like the idea of swallowing her pride and returning to the home of the woman who on so many occasions tried to tell her she would never make it as a ninja. But Hayate wasn't with her and she had no one else to turn to.

Informing Uzuki Yuri that her only child was now pregnant, husbandless and without much in the way of financial help and needed somewhere to live was easier than she originally thought and dreaded. It was the entire month of silent treatment and the subsequent 3 months of snide remarks and sideways dirty glances that was harder to bear. However, not everything about her new life was hard. The desk job had been pleasant, she still spent face to face time with her squad members and she had been able to save up enough money from each paycheck, plus the money she had earned from selling her old furniture to pay for a small apartment. After her baby was born she would try to get back into ANBU and try to keep a steady lifestyle.

It was now late March and things were beginning to gain some sense of normalcy. Earlier that day, she had been out with her mother grocery shopping when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Her mother had heard her gasp and asked her what was wrong. She tried to explain but another pain hit and she couldn't speak. Her mother understood completely and they went to the hospital without a second thought.

10 hours later, here she sat in her hospital bed; blanket covering everything under her rib cage and her new baby girl resting comfortably in her arms. Yuugao caressed her cheek with one finger and the tears that hadn't fallen in a very long time poured down her cheeks.

"I love you Sonomi-chan. I love you so much!"

There was a knock on her door as her doctor, Dr. Mesu walked in. The dark haired woman smiled and pushed up her glasses farther along the bridge of her nose.

"Yuugao-san, there are a few people waiting to visit you in the hallway. Would you like them to come in?"

Yuugao's brow furrowed, not expecting anyone but her mother to be waiting for her, but she nodded and Dr. Mesu walked back out.

The next minute, her mother walked in. Her face wasn't in a scowl or a grimace. She just looked tired. Yuugao stared at her, not sure what to expect. Her mother pulled up a chair and sat next to her bedside, just staring at the baby.

"It's a girl huh?" she asked tiredly "what's her name?"

"Sonomi. Hayate picked it out"

"And her last name?"

"Uzuki… I guess. We never got married so…."

Her mother eyed her skeptically before sighing.

"I suppose you'll be trying to get back into that… establishment as soon as you can won't you?"

"What, ANBU?"

"Yes that."

Yuugao sighed, way too tired to be having this argument again. "Yes Mother. It's the only thing I know. And really, it's what I'm good at. And if I can get promoted to captain. I might be able to make a decent living."

Her mother sighed and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. This was a common fight they partook in (in place of dirty looks they fought at least once a day- but Yuugao wasn't complaining because it was more communication she had had with her mother in years). Yuri thought now that Yuugao was a mother, she should take a civilian job, or even keep her current desk job. Yuugao didn't like the idea of staying behind a desk all day and wanted to be able to run and hunt and feel just as she did before she left on leave.

"Well then… I'm guessing you'll need someone to watch Sonomi-chan when you're working."

Yuugao stared at her waiting for a new argument to spring up.

"Are you offering Mother?"

"Would that be a bad thing?"

Yuugao turned her head so quickly she thought her neck would snap. Her mother had just offered to help her?

"Don't look so bewildered Yuugao. I… I remember how hard it was for me when your father died and I had to take care of you alone. Besides, she's my granddaughter."

"T-Thank you Mother."

Yuri smiled and Yuugao thought she'd have a heart attack. "You're welcome Yuugao. I called that woman you're friends with… Hama-san? I called her from the front office and told her you were in delivery. She's here. I'll send her in. "

"Th-Thank you."

Her mother smiled and kissed her on the forehead as she stood up and left.

Yuugao gaped and watched her go.

Her mother was acting very strange today.

Another knock and Yuugao told them to enter.

In came Hama with a bright smile and her sandy brown hair in disarray as if she'd done it in a hurry.

"Oh Yuugao-chan! She's so beautiful! I came a quickly as I could! What's her name?" Hama quickly took the seat Yuugao's mother had previously occupied.

"Uh, Uzuki Sonomi"

Hama hummed.

"So how's Sato-kun? And Nori-san?" Yuugao asked, having gotten friendly with Hama's family while spending her off time with her.

"They're good. Sato didn't understand why I was so excited after your mother's phone call." Hama giggled.

Yuugao giggled too and her baby cooed enjoying the happy noises.

"So how is your squad doing without you?"

"They're doing well. They had to train a new recruit to cover my position. Her name is Komachi. One of my younger colleges, Towa seems to have taken an interest in her."

Hama sighed wistfully and Yuugao smiled. Then she suddenly remembered a bit of news that had been shared with her.

"Oh, I also just got word that one of the platoon captains is retiring so my squad captain is taking his position."

"I heard about that too. I was actually at HQ yesterday" Hama fidgeted in her seat "And I have some great news for you! They… they want you to become Squad Captain! When you're ready to come back from maternity leave they said, of course. I, uh, asked them if I could give you the spectacular news. Congratulations Yuugao-chan!" Hama grinned.

Yuugao was stunned. She was going back into ANBU? She went on maternity leave, left her squad and was still getting back into ANBBU? This was unbelievable.

"Ok Yuugao-chan, that's probably enough earth shattering news for one day. I'll let you rest. I just wanted to stop by and see you and the baby."

"Thanks for bringing the great news Hama-san and coming to see me."

"You're welcome Yuugao-chan. I'll see you at HQ."

"W-wait, what?"

"Oh? You didn't know? I'm taking over your old job as mission coordinator" Hama winked and gave a wave as she left.

Yuugao smiled and gave her own awkward wave considering her hands were full of baby.

As soon as it got quiet, the air felt heavy and Yuugao began to cry again.

She nuzzled her daughter's face with her cheek and kissed her.

"Sonomi-chan this is wonderful. We're going to be ok. We're going to be just fine."

She kissed her again and the sleeping babe let out a whine as if she were annoyed. Yuugao laughed and felt a cold pang of grief grip her heart as she wished more than anything that Hayate was there with her.

But she couldn't change that.

She was here with her daughter keeping her safe and warm.

She would get to watch her daughter grow; watch her find her way in life.

She'd make sure her daughter knew how much she loved her father and how brave he was.

She'd tell her not to be sad that he was gone because he did it to keep both of them safe.

So while she held her baby, the proof of the love Yuugao and Hayate shared, she promised herself to tell Sonomi why she ate an orange every morning.

Or why she liked to swing on the rope swings at the academy playground.

And most importantly why she always left a light on once the street lamps went out.

…

_**Yeah, I know a happy ending. But hey, I like 'em. Thanks for reading 'Little Secrets'! **_

_**So for those of you that stuck around, I'll give you some tidbits of info.**_

_**Let's start off with names because I'm really into names.**_

_**Sonomi = Garden Beauty**_

_**Mesu= Scalpel**_

_**Makiko= Fire wood child**_

_**Hama= Beach**_

_**Nori= Seaweed**_

_**Sato= Hometown; Village**_

_**Yuri= Lily (Which is funny because Yuugao's name is a type of flower too)**_

_**Chiharu= Thousand Spring**_

_**Sonomi, Chiharu and Makiko all came from Card Captor Sakura since I was re-reading it around the time I first started writing this. **_

_**Another thing that I feel is worth mentioning is that I had a bunch of extra scenes that either floated around in my head or were actually written out before being cut. One of those was having Yuugao meet up with Komachi and Towa (who are in fact real characters, I didn't make them: check Narutopedia) and have them scare her into not being so confident about having her baby, but it just got to be repetitive and annoying so I scrapped it. But since I really wanted to have them be at least mentioned, I threw them in at the end.**_

_**Another thing I wanted to throw in was a scene with Yuugao meeting up with Kakashi since they seem to have been at least acquaintances at one point, but I just couldn't work it in no matter how I tried. **_

_**Oh! Before I forget there is a picture I drew of Sonomi on my Deviantart page which is linked in my profile, so check it out if you want (be warned: It's old art and I haven't posted anything new in a while so it's not that great).**_

_**Thanks for sticking around with me so far! Hope you enjoyed!**_


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